It's Not Purely Platonic
by sinfullysarcastic
Summary: Eddie Miller has been biding his time to make his move, wishing he wasn't stuck in the friendzone. However, when mistakes and secrets come into the light, Patricia Williamson, the object of his affections, has granted his wish. He's not in the friendzone anymore- he's an enemy; someone to be avoided. And he's not sure how to fix it./ AU Three-Shot. Patricia/Eddie. Minor Ben/Piper.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own House of Anubis.**

**This is a AU three-shot that's centered on Patricia/Eddie but hints at Ben/Piper as well. Not sure when the next installment will come.**

"Hey, Yacker!" Eddie waved and Patricia turned around, biting back a grin. She had known Eddie for three years now, and though they had their fights, he was a good friend. Her only one actually- after she left boarding school because of financial issues, Eddie was the only one remotely interesting in this town of deadbeats and dull people. Actually, no, that wasn't right…he was the only one willing to put up with her. Nobody had really cared for some girl who was always gone the whole year besides summer. Patricia had known Eddie before she started boarding school, but not the kind of relationship they had now. When they were eleven, their mothers were friends more than them…now, six years later, it was the exact opposite. After a brief three year stunt at boarding school from ages eleven to fourteen, Patricia had returned back to public school and become best friends with a boy she used to have to be forced to play with.

"_Weasel_," she teased, shoving his shoulder and smiling widely. The nicknames were affectionate most of the time and a symbol of friendship between them.

"You going to the dance this Friday?" Eddie nudged her too and Patricia rolled her eyes. Recently, the dance had been the cause of everything wrong. Her parents were telling her to attend and even her twin, Piper, who attended a private school, was insisting on her appearance there. It was really stupid- neither she nor Eddie had planned on going, deciding to retire to his house and watch re-runs of old shows on TV while eating everything in his pantry and discussing the new _Sick Puppies_ album. Meredith, Eddie's mother, was used to seeing Patricia around and the redhead often escaped to Eddie's house when her own parents were getting to be too much.

"Of course not," Patricia rolled her eyes. "We're meeting at your house, yeah?"

Eddie nodded before smirking, "I mean, as usual, a _million _girls asked me-"

"Oh yeah? Who?" Patricia asked, scowling because Eddie's words were true. He made it a point to not show up at school dances, but that didn't mean girls didn't ask him. And it really did suck sometimes, because while Eddie was getting mobbed by girls, Patricia was standing alone, not even one guy glancing in her direction. Was she just unattractive? No…Piper got boys and they looked the exact same. Sure, Patricia could be a tad intimidating, but she wasn't necessarily boy repellent. The fact that she never had anyone liking her the way all those girls liked Eddie had indeed made her more self-conscious than she let on. Not to the point where she went home and cried over it or anything- oh, no, she wouldn't cry over something that stupid- but she did wonder sometimes. Wonder why she wasn't good enough.

"Uh, you know, Lily, Annie, Stephanie, Jamie, Madison-" Eddie started listing off on his fingers and Patricia rolled her eyes. Eddie had to be the most conceited person she'd ever known. Some days, she wondered why they were even friends. That was, until they had the regular food fight in his kitchen. Any doubts were gone by then.

"Yeah, I get it, _Romeo_," she muttered, feeling downcast. Hearing Eddie ramble on about his long list of waiting girls made her feel pitiful and insecure. Patricia hadn't even _kissed _a guy before- she was _that _inexperienced.

Eddie seemed to sense this and rolled his eyes this time. "Hey, _Nightmare on Elm Street _and _Sick Puppies _with you sounds better than some lame dance, got that?"

"We're going to watch _Nightmare on Elm Street _again?" Patricia whined. Whenever Eddie had a chance to watch a movie, it was that one, and she could never understand the obsession.

"Hey, my house, my rules," Eddie smirked. "And c'mon, Yacker, you _like _Nightmare on Elm Street."

"Not after watching it nineteen times," Patricia retorted, and Eddie held up his hands in mock surrender.

"The only other movies I have are my mom's chick flicks," Eddie shrugged, swinging an arm around her shoulder in what he hoped looked platonic. "So, unless you want to watch The Notebook, we're stuck with Freddie Krueger."

Patricia rolled her eyes, "Fine."

* * *

Eddie Miller hated dances more than anything else- or rather, he hated how everyone else simply loved them. All the girls in his school who surrounded him, asking him to go with them, pretending they even had a chance. Everyone _knew _he didn't even go to the stupid things, but they all insisted on making him change his mind. The only person that totally accepted him and his hatred of dances was Patricia Williamson, his best friend.

That might be one of the reasons he liked her.

Eddie had actually liked Patricia for a while, and at first, he had dropped hints about it, but she was oblivious as ever. Either that, or she just wasn't interested and was playing clueless so as to spare his feelings.

After a while, Eddie began harboring his crush in secret, no longer giving out the subtle hints. Everyone else would figure it out before Patricia did, and he _couldn't _have that. He had gone through the years at this school building up his 'bad boy' reputation, and he would not have rumors going around about how he had gone 'soft.'

The _other _thing he hated about dances was the boys. Though Patricia wasn't aware of it…there were _many _guys out there who actually did want to date her. Apparently, something about her intrigued them in the same way it did Eddie. Maybe how unattainable she was, the raw curiosity some boys felt? For as long as they had known, _nobody _had ever succeeded in getting Patricia Williamson to like them, which definitely raised an aura of mystery around her. An aura of mystery that some of the guys had taken a liking to.

Of course, with the dance coming up, there was _always _one person who would try to ask her out. One person that Eddie would have to stop and ward away to make sure that nobody started dating Patricia but him. Maybe it was wrong to scare the guys off, but he couldn't help it. _They _wouldn't treat her right- hell, they didn't even _know _her. The other guys didn't know how Patricia Williamson had a fear of feet, or was immune to all horror movies, or how she just didn't _do _restaurants. They would screw it all up.

Eddie placed his books in his locker and sighed. Patricia had stayed after class to make up some assignments, and he had promised he would wait up for her, but she was taking far too long. Even worse, he now noticed Benji Reed out of the corner of his eye.

Ben had been the first person Eddie had run into when he moved here a while back, and ever since that day, they hated each other. Whether it be conflicting personalities or something more neither could place, they simply _didn't_ get along. Ben was arrogant, and devious, and just _better _in a billion different aspects that it made Eddie want to knock him out.

He didn't _mean _to overhear the conversation. Really, Eddie had just been innocently standing by his locker, waiting for his friend, when it had occurred.

"So, who are you asking to the dance?" One of the other boys prompted, and though Eddie didn't turn his head, he could predict that Ben had on his usual smirk.

"Amber, maybe?" Ben wondered out loud, before letting out an unsatisfied sound. "No, she's with Alfie." That was the worst part of it, Eddie figured. Ben was actually a good person- he didn't lie, or cheat, or do anything of the sort, and in comparison, Eddie felt worthless next to him.

"Patricia Williamson's single," one of Ben's friends offered, and Eddie paused. It would be hard to scare off Ben- he wasn't like Robbie, who, last year, was on the verge of asking out Patricia before Eddie came around. Not that the kid really would've had a chance anyway.

"Oh yeah," Ben said thoughtfully. "I suppose she _is _cute. Always hangs out with Milly, but everyone has their flaws." He chuckled a bit and his friends quickly mimicked him. "_Good idea_, Sven," he congratulated, as if this was an unnatural occurrence. And maybe it was- from his performance in class, Sven had already proved he wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. Maybe _he _would be better with Amber, the school's stereotypical blonde. "Yeah, I'll ask her out." Ben finished, and Eddie clenched his fists. He had scared Patricia's potential dates off before, but Ben was different. Ben was his equal and sometimes surpassed him. It would be hard to frighten him, but considering Ben did things quickly and didn't hesitate, Eddie had to move just as fast. Confident, cool, and charming, Ben would surely have asked her out by the end of the day if he had the chance. Which meant Eddie had to deal with him _now_.

"Hey, Ben," Eddie turned around and slammed his locker shut before striding over, tone casual. Ben looked over him, unimpressed, and Eddie rolled his eyes. Now or never, right? Patricia didn't know Ben like he did- she didn't know how manipulative he could be. Eddie was just protecting her…with an ulterior motive. "I heard you say you were going to ask out Patricia."

"Yeah," Ben smirked, crossing his arms. "Why? Problem, Milly?"

"_Don't _ask her out," Eddie warned lowly, the same voice he had used to scare off Robbie a year ago. "If you do, I'll-"

"You'll what? Knock me out? Because, if you remember correctly, we had a fight last year and I-" at this, Ben smiled, and Eddie felt his cheeks grow red. Last year, Eddie had punched Ben because he was provoking him, and it had started an all-out war that Ben had ended up winning. Eddie was still ashamed, even though Patricia had assured him last year that he'd 'win the next one'. "Won."

"Look, just don't date Patricia-" Eddie clenched his eyes shut in anger, knuckles turning white, ready to swing until…he heard it.

"What do you mean 'don't date Patricia?'" The girl herself had strode over, looking between Eddie and Ben confusedly. "Why would you be telling him not to- _oh_," she cut herself off as the realization dawned on her. Eddie's eyes filled with worry, while Ben seemed pleased with the trouble he'd caused. _Of course_, Eddie noted bitterly. _As always_.

"_Eddie_," his name sounded wrong on Patricia's lips and he winced, so used to be called 'Slimeball.' Patricia and Eddie had fights before, as best friends often did, but they were minuscule and not worth a day's attention. Knowing that Eddie had been scaring guys off would definitely qualify for some screaming. "_Why _were you just telling him not to ask me out?" It didn't even look like she cared for Ben, but her voice was dangerously low and angry, and Ben took the chance to pipe in.

"Yeah, Milly? _Why _were you telling me not to?" he acted innocent, but there was a knowing look in his eyes. His cronies, Sven and Sergei, had matching smirks plastered on their faces.

"Look, Yacker," Eddie started, but Patricia didn't seem in the mood to hear his explanations.

"Y-you _slimeball_," Patricia said, backing away the slightest, the nickname holding no affection this time.

"Oh, he's been doing this for a while now," Ben informed, wanting to cause more drama. "There are quite a few guys who would've dated you had Milly here not meddled."

"Yacker-"

"Who told you to interfere with my life?" Patricia asked, a fire in her eyes as she clutched her bag tightly, looking wary. "Why would you even-"

"_Yacker_-"

"Save it, Eddie," she spat, backing away even farther, a betrayed expression coloring her face. Her knuckles had turned white from holding her bag and her eyes burned with intensity as she walked away, to the lunchroom, blending in with a sea of students. Eddie sighed angrily, not even bothering to look at Ben as he patted his back and went into the lunchroom himself. Admittedly, he had screwed up. Eddie had an inkling of how Patricia felt during this time of year, when everyone started preparing for dances and getting asked out. How nobody ever approached her in class or after school to talk, say a friendly word, invite her over. How everybody in the whole town practically had a date except for her, how she had to watch everyone get excited and dressed up while she hung back in the shadows. Even Eddie was _wanted_- though he didn't go, there were many girls who still flocked him. And the guys Patricia had a chance with, he had scared away for selfish reasons.

But…it would blow over, right? Patricia was his best friend…it _had _to blow over. Was she still coming over to watch _Nightmare on Elm Street_? Was she ever going to talk to him again? Eddie had figured she might've been a little bitter, borderline insecure, about this, but not to the point where she'd shove him away for the things he'd done.

Right?

**And that's where I'll leave it. Hopefully you enjoyed! Next chapter coming soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own House of Anubis.**

**Hello! Fair warning- this second installment doesn't contain a lot of dialogue, but it definitely moves the story forward and in the next and final chapter, you'll get to see Eddie, so...**

**And this is also where some of the Ben/Piper comes in, so if you're fans of that, then you'll probably like the circumstances.**

**I apologize if Patricia seems OOC in any way. I tried my best to keep her in character while also showing her insecurities and inner feelings.**

By the time Patricia had reached home after school, walking alone for the first time in a long time, she had made her decision. After the drama with Eddie, Ben had sidled up next to her during lunch and offered her his number. _If you want to talk about it_, he said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. And honestly? It had been nice. It had been nice to get that kind of attention from somebody who wanted her to be more than a friend. Patricia had mainly been a raging ball of fury during lunch, but Ben had still sat next to her, providing her with good information on how many people Eddie had scared away from her. With each word he said, the anger grew more and more until Patricia was _glad _she had figured it out when she did. Who knew how long Eddie would hold her back for no reason whatsoever? It was her life, right? She could do what she wanted, which was why she was presently scanning the scrap of paper on which Ben had written his number.

Patricia wasn't good with feelings- maybe because she never had to showcase them. Her parents weren't the type to show their affection constantly to each other or even their children, and Patricia had never had a boyfriend. What did it even _feel _like to like someone? Maybe Eddie would know-

_No_. She wasn't speaking to Eddie currently. Speaking to him would mean that she forgave him; she was basically telling him that what he did was okay. She was saying that everything could go back to normal- which it _couldn't_, it just couldn't. And to emphasize her point, she would have to show him, considering he had the _nerve _to actually call as soon as they got out of school.

That was it.

Patricia was going to the dance. With Ben. Maybe she would have fun, but more importantly, Eddie would realize that she didn't need him to have a good time. And besides, Ben was charming, sweet, predictable unlike some, and he was a nice guy who wanted to ask her out. Who comforted her at lunch today- someone Patricia could grow to like more than a friend. It would work.

And so she dialed his number, and as they talked and Patricia accepted his invitation to the dance, she felt different.

_Wanted_.

* * *

"This is so exciting!" Piper squealed, opening up her closet. "You're _actually _going to a dance, Patricia! Do you have a date?"

"Yeah," she muttered. Maybe consulting Piper on what to wear had been a bad idea, but to be honest, Patricia was _clueless _when it came to these kind of things. Previous dances had been spent at Eddie's house, in comfortable clothes, watching movies and throwing popcorn at each other. It was weird to think that she wouldn't be sitting on his couch this Friday, both on the edge of their seats as they watched _Nightmare on Elm Street_. It was even weirder to think she had an actual date- what if he tried to kiss her? How do you even kiss? Patricia had seen it happen in movies and in real life, but the idea that her first kiss might be approaching made her nervous beyond belief. What if she did it wrong and completely humiliated herself?

"Oh, is it Eddie?" Piper asked with wide eyes.

"_No_," Patricia snapped, scrolling through the voicemails Eddie had left. There were three of them, and she hadn't listened to them yet. She didn't _want _to forgive him. "Why is everything about _Eddie_, huh? What, you think no other guy hangs out with me?" To be honest, no other guy actually did, but that was a fact Piper didn't need to know.

"I never said that," Piper said warily, setting out a dress that Patricia wrinkled her nose at. "Are you okay?"

"I'm _fine_," Patricia grumbled. Piper asked too many questions, just like Ben at lunch today. While it felt like someone cared earlier, right now it felt overbearing and nosy. If Eddie was here, he would let it go, and started a new conversation.

"Okay, well, as you know, I'm going to be at one of my concerts this Friday," Piper grinned, glancing at her violin. Apparently, she was playing a solo, and while the whole family used to go to support her, the concerts became more frequent and less special to the point where Patricia, her mother, and her father, only came every so often. It wasn't really Patricia's scene- dressed up people playing classical music? Pass.

"I'm wearing this dress," Piper held up a black and white strapless dress that she was sure to shine in. "What are you wearing to the dance?" Piper handed her a lavender dress of hers and Patricia rolled her eyes. If she was going to wear a dress, it was going to be black. Or at least a darker color than _lavender_.

"Right," Piper said, grabbing a different dress. This one was much more suited to Patricia's taste, a navy blue so dark it could border black. Patricia gave a nod of approval, and Piper set it off to the side before continuing her interrogating. "So, who _are _you going with?"

"Ben Reed," Patricia shrugged, trying to make it sound normal and casual. Piper nodded and didn't say much else, and for that, Patricia was grateful.

Patricia glanced over at Piper, who was sleeping soundly. It was late and dark, but she pulled out her phone anyway and clicked on _voicemail_. She just couldn't handle not knowing what Eddie had said- maybe he had some provided some insight, an apology, perhaps? Turning the volume down, she clicked on the first one he left and sank back into her pillows.

_Yacker, I'm sorry, okay? I had reasons for what I did- I swear, I wasn't trying to ruin your life or something. Call me back when you have the chance…you have my number._

Delete. It had no reasoning for his actions and though he had apologized, Patricia wanted more than that. She clicked on the second one-

_C'mon, Patricia. I'm begging you here, if you talk to me, I'll explain everything. And who am I going to watch Nightmare on Elm Street with tomorrow? Scratch that, we don't even have to watch that…I'll watch whatever, seriously, we can put in The Notebook if you want to. Just call me back_.

Patricia sighed slightly. It had been a ritual to watch movies on dance nights, and now that too was washed away. Funny thing was, she had always expected Eddie to ditch _her _because he had gotten a date, not the other way around.

_So, I heard from Fabian that you're going to the dance with Ben_. In the third voicemail, Eddie paused here and let out a long breath before continuing. _Whatever. I get it. Bye, Yacker._

And after that, there were no other messages left.

* * *

The next couple days passed in silence- Eddie didn't call anymore and Patricia didn't sit with him at lunch. Ben now slung his arm over her shoulder and he had even kissed her on the cheek earlier. Once, he had tried to kiss her on the lips, but Patricia had freaked out and backed away before feeling ashamed. How _stupid _was she actually being, avoiding her first kiss? It was like she didn't _want _to kiss Ben at all. He didn't seem to understand why she didn't want to kiss, but Ben didn't push her. Ben hugged her instead, almost as if he were ready for Patricia to cry into his shoulder. And it angered her at the slightest, how he just _expected _her to do such a thing. How he thought some comforting words and hugs would calm her down so easily. It was a bit pompous, really, but she shrugged it off.

Shrugging into the dress, Patricia checked the time. Ben was picking her up in a half hour, and she wanted to make sure she was the one to answer the door and not Piper, who was waiting downstairs for one of her friends from music school to pick her up and take her to the concert. Patricia hadn't exactly mentioned Piper to Ben- the only person from school she had ever told about her twin was Eddie, and even then, it wasn't because she particularly wanted to.

Putting the final touches on her makeup, Patricia smiled at herself in the mirror. The dress felt itchy and awkward and the more she looked at it, the more she hated it. The more she thought about actually dancing and socializing with people from her school, her head hurt. The more she wondered if Ben was going to try to kiss her again, she developed a churning feeling in her stomach. It would be so much easier if she could just go to Eddie's house and watch a movie with him- Ben made her feel anxious and self-conscious all the time, and the only reason she had agreed to go to the dance with him was to prove a point to Eddie. Though she had never really gotten some reasoning as to why Eddie was scaring guys off, he had offered up his explanation. All she had to do was call him, or go to his house.

_Oh, c'mon, Williamson, you're going to this dance_, a part of her fiercely instructed herself. Patricia sighed and straightened out the dress, grabbing her leather jacket and freezing as she heard the doorbell ring. Was it Ben or Piper's friend?

She was jamming things in her purse all too soon and heading down the stairs, only to hear the door slam.

So it must've been Piper's friend. Not Ben yet.

She still had time to figure out what the hell to do.

Checking her watch, she took a seat on the sofa and tried to calm her nerves. Patricia _couldn't _dance- she was horribly uncoordinated. What would she even do with Ben once he saw she couldn't dance? What would they talk about? How awkward would it be?

The sharp shrill of her phone broke her out of her thoughts, and Patricia sighed, not sure what she'd do if it was Eddie. Luckily, she was wrong, and the person calling her was her very own twin. Then again…why would Piper call her when she was on her way to a concert?

"Hello?"

"Oh, Trix," Piper sighed in relief. "Thank you so much for picking up!"

"Why, what happened?" Patricia's eyebrows knit together in concern, and Piper's words came out worried and hurried.

"Your date- Ben. Did you ever tell him about me?"

"Um," Patricia drew the word out, not sure what to say. Why was it even relevant whether she had ever told Ben about Piper?

"_Patricia_! He rang the doorbell ten minutes ago, and I answered, thinking it was my friend who was going to pick me up! And then _your _date is putting a corsage on my wrist-"

"What's a corsage again?"

"The flower thing! Anyways, I _tried _to tell Ben that I was Piper, but he thought I was joking! He thinks I'm _you _and he didn't believe me when I said we needed to turn back around to get you! And now _I'm _at your dance, and the gym smells absolutely _terrible_. Why would they even _keep _a dance in here?" Piper seemed frantic and nervous over the phone, probably worried about Patricia's temper. "This wouldn't have happened if you had just told him about me!"

"Well, excuse me if I didn't want to be compared for once," Patricia muttered under her breath, tapping her fingers on her thigh. A sudden sense of relief had come over her upon hearing Piper was with Ben instead of her. Maybe she was supposed to be devastated, but the only thing she felt was _relaxed_. If Piper could keep up the act, then Patricia would never have to go and try to dance or prepare for a kiss with Ben. She could take some time to think everything over- now that she had the potential chance to skip the dance, she was actually warming up to the idea.

"What? Patricia, what are you talking about-"

"Hey, Piper, can you stay there for a bit?"

"_What_?" Piper hissed after a long pause. "Patricia, he's _your _date and besides, I have my concert tonight!"

"Oh, please, you have nine concerts a month or something," Patricia scoffed, rolling her eyes and clutching the phone tightly. She couldn't believe she was actually doing this- the one time she actually got a date, and she was ditching him. Ben was nice and he was good to her- why _didn't _Patricia like him?

He was safe. He was stereotypical. He followed the rules, predictable and unsurprising. Sure, stable. He would be there for her, and she could relish in that.

And maybe that was what she hated the most.

Because some part of Patricia Williamson didn't _want _reliable. She wanted someone she could be herself around, be crazy with, be _comfortable _with, not as if she was put up to play someone she wasn't. Someone who accepted her just as she was right now, who would put up with all her shit and still stayed there. A daring relationship, one you couldn't tell what would happen next. She wanted to be caught up in the rush of feeling something amazing, whether it be short lived intoxication or long term love.

And Ben…he couldn't provide that for her.

"_Please_, Piper," Patricia pleaded over the phone, and sighed. "We're sisters, c'mon."

The reluctant sigh from her twin's end of the line was enough confirmation, "…_fine_." She giggled slightly, "Ben _actually _is a rather good dancer. If that's okay for me to say," she added on, and Patricia almost laughed too. Things seemed to be looking up- Piper was doing something for her and getting something out of it, Ben could be dealt with later if he didn't manage to fall for her twin throughout the night, who actually was a much better suit for him. They were both the good ones, the superior ones.

"It's fine," Patricia nodded, twisting a ring on her finger upon thinking about what she was going to do next. "Bye, Piper. Have fun." She was met with the dial tone, and she hung up. After a few moments of contemplation, the answer was clear. Eddie probably thought she needed some space, and therefore had stopped calling. Which meant whatever first move or progress in whatever fragments of a relationship they had right now would have to be made by Patricia herself.

And so she dashed upstairs, stripping herself of the tight dress and opting for some comfortable sweats and a loose t-shirt. Eddie had known her long enough to have seen her in all moods, and to be honest, Patricia didn't think he would really care if she was in sweats. It wasn't like she had never worn comfortable clothes like this around him- once, during a raging storm, Patricia had been forced to stay at his house for the night, and Eddie had tossed a pair of his flannel pajama bottoms in her face in response.

* * *

As Patricia set off outside, only having to walk a couple minuscule blocks before she reached Eddie's house, she checked her phone again. Should she call and let him know she was arriving?

No. If she called him now, she was sure she'd explode on the phone and have zero tolerance towards anything he had to say, even if it was an explanation for his actions. The question that had been consistently bugging her was yet to be answered:

_Why _would he even care who she dated though? It wouldn't affect his life, besides the fact that Patricia wouldn't hang out with him as much.

Whatever.

She'd get her answers soon enough.

**Next update should be by the end of this week, if I can get it done by then? Thank you for all your wonderful reviews; your feedback makes my day.**


End file.
